[Photo by Nick Fancher]
POP EVIL ANNOUNCES SKELETONS ALBUM
DUE MARCH 17, 2023 VIA MNRK HEAVY
INCLUDES FEATURES FROM RYAN KIRBY (FIT FOR A KING),
BLAKE ALLISON (DEVOUR THE DAY), AND ZILLION
PRE-SAVE / PRE-ORDER
SPRING 2023 SKELETONS U.S. HEADLINING TOUR ANNOUNCED
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS THE WORD ALIVE AND AVOID
WATCH/SHARE THE OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR “PARANOID (CRASH & BURN)”
REACHING #5 ON BILLBOARD’S MAINSTREAM ROCK CHART
New York, NY (December 9, 2022) — Today, the hard rock group Pop Evil announced their new album, Skeletons due March 17, 2023, via MNRK Heavy, along with their U.S. headlining tour starting on the same day.
The 11-tracks feature the already released singles, “Eye of the Storm” landing at the #5 Most Played Song in 2022 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart, and the most recent single, “Paranoid (Crash & Burn).” The album also includes guest performers such as Ryan Kirby from Fit for a King on “Dead Reckoning” - a song brought to the table by bassist, Joey “Chicago” Walser - plus Blake Allison from Devour the Day providing guest vocals on “Wrong Direction.” [Pre-Save + Pre-Order].
In discussing the album, frontman Leigh Kakaty said, “This is about us as a band stripping everything down to the bones. It’s more uptempo, it’s got bigger riffs, and we’re trying to capture the energy of our live show.”
“But it’s also a positive message,” he adds. “I know it’s a morbid visual, but behind every skeleton, there’s a story and something worth talking about. Overall, it’s about looking at something in a positive way. And I’m excited for everyone to hear that.”
The first single, “Eye of the Storm,” is a pummeling, chaotic maelstrom with an uplifting message at its center (and a killer chorus). As for the song's lyrical plea, Kakaty explains: "It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, at some point we all face a situation beyond our control. At times, it feels hopeless, but it’s not. There is a path through the chaos and a way out of the confusion. You are stronger and closer than you think you are. The storm will pass. Don’t let it bury you.”
Their most recent single, “Paranoid (Crash & Burn),” oscillates from something more melodic and rhythmic to pure aggression, that “get out of my head” scream is certainly going to resonate. “It’s about the voices in our head — we all have ‘em, but do we act on them?” says Kakaty. “It’s a cautionary tale, about processing those voices in a positive way.”
The music video is created by award-winning filmmaker and director, Jensen Noen best known for his work with Falling In Reverse, Ice Nine Kills, and Asking Alexandria. The digital world in “Paranoid (Crash & Burn)” is about overcoming inner demons that bring the song to life with futuristic elements. In discussing the video, Noen says, “During tough times, our minds can easily wander into dark places. It can feel like you’re drowning in a sea of paranoia. But no matter how bad things get, there's always hope. There is always a way to escape from our minds. We just need to find the right key to unlock the door.”
Skeletons see the band once again working with producer Drew Fulk (Disturbed, Papa Roach, Motionless in White), a friend and collaborator on a few previous albums that generated # hits. “With ‘Versatile,’ we had a bunch of producers, but for this album, we just wanted to work with one person and get back to our roots,” says Kakaty. “There’s an energy he and I have, and he’s been great at helping us build these songs and work around some collective themes.”
The band partnered with Heart Support to spread awareness about mental health by giving away custom shows created by bassist Joey “Chicago” Walser - enter by December 12 to be qualified. Pop Evil said, “We all have voices in our head that tell us lies. They say things like “I’m not good enough”, “I’m alone”, “Things will never get better. These voices have the power to stop us in our tracks if we don’t fight them. We know that the first step in quieting these voices is sharing them with others and receiving encouragement.”
Pop Evil will head out on their Skeletons Tour headlining U.S. dates starting on March 17, 2023, in Sault St. Marie at Kewadin Casino and concluding on April 23, 2023, in Milwaukee at The Rave. Special guests, The Word Alive and Avoid will join. Tickets are on sale now at www.popevil.com.
Skeletons U.S. Headlining Tour:
03/17 – Sault St. Marie, MI @ Kewadin Casino
03/18 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
03/19 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Jergel's
03/21 – Lititz, PA @ Mickey's Black Box *
03/23 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
03/24 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun - Wolf Den +
03/25 – Waterloo, NY @ Del Lago Casino *
03/26 – Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall
03/28 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Elevation27
03/30 – Tampa, FL @ Hard Rock Event Center
03/31 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
04/01 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground *
04/02 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
04/04 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Tower Theatre
04/05 – Dallas, TX @ Echo Lounge & Music Hall
04/07 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
04/08 – Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee Theater
04/10 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory OC
04/11 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
04/12 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
04/14 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
04/15 – Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theatre
04/16 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
04/18 – Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
04/19 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
04/21 – Pittsburg, KS @ Kansas Crossing Casino
04/22 – Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
04/23 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
* The Word Alive will not be performing
+ No Support
Rescheduled UK + EU 2023 Tour
with Call Me Amour as support, plus Zillion
05/05 – Manchester, UK @ Rebellion
05/06 – Birmingham, UK @ Institute 2
05/07 – London, UK @ The Dome
05/09 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
05/10 – Cologne, DE @ Luxor
05/12 – Munich, DE @ Backstage Halle
05/13 – Frankfurt, DE @ Nachtleben
05/14 – Hamburg, DE @ Logo
05/15 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
Pop Evil has massive anthems and built a new rock’n’roll institution on a foundation of showmanship, raw relatability, and hard rock hooks, both forward-thinking and timeless from frontman, Leigh Kakaty, lead guitarist Nick Fuelling, rhythm guitarist Dave Grahs, bassist Joey "Chicago" Walser and drummer Hayley Cramer. No matter the headline-grabbing declarations from legendary icons, lamenting the changing of the guard, the slow-burning success of Pop Evil demonstrates the hunger for hard-hitting honest music persisting worldwide.
Their 2011 album, War of Angels debuted at #8 on Billboard Top Rock Albums with three singles landing on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Top 10 including “Last Man Standing”, “Monster You Made” and “Boss’s Daughter.” The momentum continued with their 2013 album Onyx, landing them on the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 for the first time, plus it was #9 on the Billboard Independent Albums in America and #25 on the Billboard 200. The album included three #1 Billboard Mainstream Rock singles, “Trenches” “Deal with the Devil” and “Torn to Pieces.” In 2015, the band released their album, UP, which would make its way to #1 on Billboard Independent Albums, with four Top 5 Billboard Singles such as “Ways to Get High,” “Take It All,” and “If Only for Now”. The hit single “Footsteps” is still one of the biggest songs to date and returned Pop Evil to Billboard’s #1 spot for four weeks. Their 2018 self-titled album landed three singles on Billboard Mainstream Rock, “Waking Lions” at #1 with “Be Legendary” peaking at #2, and “A Crime to Remember” peaking at #7.
Pop Evil’s last #1 single include “Survivor,” which also topped Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart in late 2021, joining previous Top 10 single “Work,” and #1 single “Breathe Again,” from their album VERSATILE, out now via MNRK Heavy. Over the course of their career, the band has achieved four gold singles with “Torn to Pieces,” and “Trenches” from Onyx, “Footsteps” from UP, and, “100 in a 55” from their debut studio album, Lipstick on the Mirror.
